An illegal rave began in Arlon on New Year's Eve on Tuesday, ultimately ending on Thursday morning.
To the dismay of residents disturbed over the course of two nights, between 1,000 and 1,500 people were at the rave in Stockem (Arlon), where the SNCB warehouses used to be based. The music from the party could be heard from several kilometres away.
The police had difficulty putting a stop to the rave, with an attempt on Tuesday being unsuccessful. The rave was held on a disused private site and organisers had no authorisations to hold the party. When the initial police patrols were dispatched to the party, officers were not well-received, with some party-goers throwing items at the police and saying the event would go ahead as people had travelled from afar to get to the rave.
The police reported that they only had twenty officers at the site on the first night, who attempted to disconnect the music, but were stopped by around 30 to 40 hooded individuals armed with iron bars. Whilst officers attempted to begin a dialogue with the organisers, it was impossible for officers to stop the party. Two officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation and the police ultimately decided to set up traffic stops in the surrounding area to intercept any revellers driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A total of 5 licences were seized.
According to Arlon's first alderman Carine Lecomte, around 400 people remained at the rave on Wednesday. The local and federal police met to take stock of the situation, and authorities decided to let the party take place to prevent any overspill. This, Lecomte said, was the least risky solution, as force is rarely effective nor the best approach. The alderman denounced the lack of communication and dialogue on the part of organisers.
On Thursday morning, the local police, assisted by federal police, finally managed to evacuate the site as the number of revellers had dwindled to around 150 people. The second intervention was much calmer and led to around 30 administrative arrests, mostly consisting of those who had organised the rave. Police also seized a number of drugs, reports RTBF, including cocaine, LSD, and cannabis.
